warnoun [ C or U ]
uk/wɔːr/us/wɔːr/A2 armed fighting between two or more countries or groups, or a particular example of this:
nuclear war
a war film/grave/hero/poet
If this country goes to (= starts to fight in a) war we will have to face the fact that many people will die.
Britain and France declared war on Germany in 1939 as a result of the invasion of Poland.
War broke out between the two countries after a border dispute.
They've been at war for the last five years.
He died in the First World War/the Vietnam war.
war of attrition
a war that is fought over a long period and only ends when one side has neither the soldiers and equipment nor the determination left to continue fighting
war of nerves
a situation, often before a competition or battle, in which each opposing side attempts to frighten or discourage the other by making threats or by showing how strong it is
C2 any situation in which there is strong competition between opposing sides or a great fight against something harmful:
The past few months have witnessed a price war between leading supermarkets.
The president vowed to wage war on/against terrorism.
the war on drugs
More examples
- The war has claimed thousands of lives.
- The prime minister is to meet his European counterparts to discuss the war against drugs.
- America declared war on Japan in 1941.
- There is likely to be civil war if the region tries to secede from the south.
- The number of casualties was appallingly high in both wars.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
War
- antebellum
- battle-scarred
- bellicose
- belligerent
- biological warfare
- conflagration
- crusade
- hostile
- militarism
- militarist
- pacific
- peacekeeping
- phoney war
- pro-war
- scorched-earth policy
- the Great War
- the Second World War
- war clouds are gathering idiom
- war-torn
- warfare
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Fighting
Arguments & disagreements
Idiom(s)
be in the wars
war clouds are gathering